Bachelor Nation's Mike Johnson Reveals His Initial Thoughts on Peter Weber's Bachelor Season

It’s still early days in Peter Weber‘s season of The Bachelor, but Mike Johnson already has a lot of thoughts.

During an episode two watch party in New York City with Smirnoff Seltzer on Monday, the former Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise star got candid with PEOPLE about his opinions of the new season.

“My thoughts so far my Texas ladies are representing the great state, Peter looks good with his five o’clock shadow, and … Peter, we know you’re a pilot bro,” joked Johnson, 32, who tweeted during the three-hour season 24 premiere, “Dope intro, gotta love the Weber family frfr.”

He also revealed that while he was at the Bachelor watch party, which included attendees “yelling at ,” he was texting Weber throughout the show. “Personally, I have the ability to actually text Peter … so that’s what I’m doing. ‘Peter, why’d you do that bro?’ That’s what I’m doing,” he said.

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Since their time on The Bachelorette, where Johnson and Weber both competed for Hannah Brown’s heart, the pair have remained good friends.

“ amazing. He’s like my brother. I’m blessed to call him a homie for real. I know the guy, hung out with the guy, went through ups and downs with him,” Johnson told PEOPLE. “So I’m really happy for him and on this season.”

Additionally, the San Antonio, Texas, native offered his initial takeaways on this season’s contestants, tweeting Jan. 6, “Lexa waxes; Tammy is a badass; Victoria intro, nuff said; Kelley’s bawse chick; Madison got game; Maurissa’s tough.”

Lexa waxes
Tammy is a badass
Victoria intro, nuff said
Kelley's bawse chick
Madison got game
Maurissa's tough

— Mike Johnson (@MikeJohnson1_) January 7, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Weber’s debut as Bachelor comes more than three months after he was named the next ABC leading man during the Bachelor in Paradise reunion in September. Prior to the announcement, fan-favorite Johnson, a portfolio manager, had been a Bachelor contender and would have made history as the first black man and the first military veteran if chosen.

Fans flocked to social media to express their disappointment in the franchise seemingly passing over Johnson as the next lead, even as the former Bachelorette contestant said that he did feel that the show “chose the right person for what they want, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all.”

“When I first found out, I’m not gonna lie — I was sad,” he admitted during an interview on the Bachelor Happy Hour With Rachel & Ali podcast. “I was annoyed when I very first found out. But then, I think by the end of the night, I wasn’t annoyed no more because I was appreciative and thankful that they told me ‘no’ right then and there, because now I can focus on myself. I’m just blessed because I know I’mma find my wife and find my queen.”

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On Monday, Johnson announced his new partnership with Smirnoff Seltzer, which is the official hard seltzer of The Bachelor franchise.

“Quite honestly … Smirnoff is the best,” he explained. “I mean I’m 32-years-old, I’ve been a fan of Smirnoff for over a decade now, and they have the same values that I have. … I’m all about smiling and loving life and being inclusive and having diversity, and that’s what they’re about .”

WATCH: #ChampagneGate: This Viral Moment That Has the Internet Laughing at ‘The Bachelor’

He continued, “It’s fresh, it’s new, it’s light, and those are things that I am as well. … If you’ve seen me on Bachelor in Paradise, I’m goofy, I’m light-hearted, and just having a wonderful time.”

Johnson also joked that not even his trainer can criticize him for drinking the seltzer, since “no one’s gonna be mad at me because it only has one carb.”

The Bachelor airs Mondays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.